Category Archives: Recent Insights

Framework CEO Kate Rebernak writes about the attitudes and connotations that adhere to words like “ESG”, “citizenship”, and “sustainability”. This article also appears in the Journal of Sustainable Banking & Finance’s May edition.

While in a meeting recently with members of the top management team of an iconic U.S. company (which we’ll call IconCorp), I mentioned, as I often do, that investors increasingly consider companies’ performance on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues in making investment decisions. The comment was based, in part, on the growth in the number of signatories to the UN Principles of Responsible Investment in recent years, the increasing amounts of money being managed by investment professionals who (say they’re) considering ESG factors in their investment process, and the growth in the number of shareholder resolutions over the past several years on issues such as board diversity, reporting on greenhouse gas emissions, and… More >

(This post was first published in Triple Pundit. For information on how Framework LLC can support your transition to GRI G4, please see our related services.)

As sustainability reporting has gone from vanguard to mainstay over the past decade, sustainability professionals have struggled with the question of who actually wades through the reams of data that comprise a typical report—especially one developed to the highest GRI Application Levels.

The most feared of the possible answers? That a handful of specialist readers—perhaps mostly sustainability consultants—might be the only dedicated consumers of this information. The specter of investing months of work only to reach such a narrow readership can be dispiriting to Chief Sustainability Officers and sustainability teams and add to the challenges of advocating for budgets and resources.

Now, it’s clear that while limited, the primary audience for sustainability reporting can also be an influential one that includes ratings and… More >

Over the course of a decade of advising major companies, interfacing with other experts, and conducting research, we have identified eight key elements of an integrated business model. Taken together, they can serve as a springboard, roadmap, and measure of companies’ maturity in integrating ESG considerations into their business strategy and operations.

Each element of integration involves multiple performance aspects and related metrics. And of course, each contains a complex set of issues unto itself that potentially require years of effort to address, and to which no simple checklist can do justice. Our brief self-assessment guide, however, can be applied as a simple first step to recognize areas of strength and potential improvement for your company.

For more information on how Framework LLC can help your company assess and improve its performance in these areas,… More >

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